Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Geox SpA, an Italian shoemaker and
retailer, will open a factory in Serbia with an annual capacity
to produce 1.25 million pairs of shoes.

The 15.8 million-euro ($20.5 million) plant in the southern
city of Vranje will employ 1,250 and receive government aid for
creating jobs, the office of Finance and Economy Minister
Mladjan Dinkic said today in an e-mailed statement.

Geox founder and Chairman Mario Moretti Polegato signed an
agreement with Serbian officials in Vranje today, including a
government pledge to provide 9,000 euros for each new job.
Production is expected to begin in 2014, said Aleksandar
Miloradovic, a spokesman for the Serbia Investment and Export
Promotion Agency, in a telephone interview today.